A fire has razed dozens of houses in Palmeriam subdistrict, East Jakarta, leaving 116 people homeless and demanding help.

About 30 buildings, occupied by 44 families, and some 20 cafés in the nearby areas were razed by the fire, which raged from just after midnight until around 4 a.m.

The victims are being accommodated at a student dormitory on Jl. Bunga, Palmeriam.

Suwarti, one of the victims said that several residents had shouted to warn people who were still asleep about the fire that had started to blaze at one of the cafes in the densely occupied area.

 “Most of people could only save important possessions before running out from their houses as the fire spread quickly,” said Suwarti, one of the residents living in neighborhood unit (RT) 05/community unit (RW) 09 of the subdistrict

Another resident said the fire allegedly came from a candle. “The fire came from the café and then spread to the residential areas,” said another resident, who declined to give his name, adding that the fire trucks came too late to save many of the houses.

The residents have received food supplies and mattresses from the Jakarta Social Agency and neighboring residents. (bbn)

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